Career Advice
by hufflepuff4ever93
Summary: One shot: My take on how Harry's career advice meeting with McGonagall would have gone if he had gotten the idea to become a teacher. None of this belongs to me, just the grand J.K Rowling


**Hey guys, This is just a one shot, but its always bugged me how Harry never became a Professor, hope you like it**

CAREERS ADVICE

_All fifth years are required to attend a short meeting with their head of house during the first week of the summer term to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below. _

Harry burst into Professor Mcgonagall's office, after a rather horrid potions lesson at a quarter to three.

"Sorry Professor" He panted "I forgot." Professor Mcgonagall looked up from her desk

"No matter Potter." She said briskly, but someone else in the corner of the room sniffed. Harry looked around, and low and behold, Umbridge was sitting there with a clipboard, and looking horribly smug. Harry wanted to hit her over the head with that stupid clipboard.

"Sit down Potter." McGonagall told him, rather tensley. Harry noticed that her hands were shaking slightly as she shuffled all of the pamphlets on her desk. Harry figured that her hands weren't shaking from fear, but from anger. Harry sat down with his back facing Umbridge, attempting to ignore the woman who greatly resembled a toad.

"Potter, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you may have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue after your OWLs. Any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?" Harry didn't have any clue at all, other than maybe an Auror, and...

"Er-" He also found the scratching of Umbridge's quill against her clipboard incredibly distracting.

"Yes?" Mcgonagall prompted. Harry thought for a moment.

"Well, I thought of, maybe being an Auror." Harry muttered, not wanting to tell Umbridge.

"You will need top grades for that" Professor Mcgonagall told him, and continued explaining the expectations needed to be met for an Auror, along with the difficulties of being one, until, a tiny cough interrupted her. Mcgonagall ignored it, and continued, even with the coughing, getting increasingly loud from the corner of the room. Finally Umbridge had given her most pronounced cough yet.

"May I offer you a cough drop Delores?" Mcgonagall finally snapped. Harry cheered internally for her.

"Oh no, thank you very much. I just wondered whether I could make the teeniest, tiniest interruption, Minerva?" Umbridge asked her with her usual saccharine sweetness that reminded Harry of his Aunt Petunia giving the neighbour's backhanded comments.

"I daresay that you'll find that you can" Professor Mcgonagall said through obviously gritted teeth.

"I was wondering if Mr. Potter has the temperment to be an Auror?" Professor Umbridge gave a simpering laugh.

"Were you?" asked Mcgonagall dryly and continued on with her speech to Harry, until Umbridge coughed once again. "Are you quite sure you wouldn't like a cough drop Delores?"

Oh, no need, thank you, Minerva. I was just concerned that you may not have Harry's most recent defence against the Dark Arts marks in front of you. I'm quite sure I slipped you a note. Harry felt something tighten in his chest. No one spoke to Professor Mcgonagall like that. She was his favorite Professor. She was fair to every single student, sure she had favorites, but she never favoured her own house. The same could not be said for Umbridge, or Snape. If harry ever wanted to be a professor, he would want to be like her. Harry must have mist part of the conversation because Mcgonagall was saying something.

"Of course I understood it."

"Well then, I am confused, how can you give Mr. Potter such false hope that-"

"False hope? He has achieved high marks in all his defence against the dark art tests-" Mcgonagall interrupted.

"I'm terribly sorry to have to contradict you, Minerva, but as you will see from my note, Harry has been achieving poor marks in his classes with me-"

"I should have made my meaning plainer," Mcgonagall said. Harry was getting a niggling idea in the back of his head. What if?

"He has achieved high marks in all Defence Against the Dark Arts tests set by a _competent teacher_" Harry felt shocked. Mcgonagall was amazing. The small idea that had started at the beginning of this argument was becoming a full blown plan. Harry actually had really enjoyed being a teacher for the DA, helping others to figure things out. Having kids look up to him, not because he was the boy who lived, but because he was teaching them how to defend themselves, something actually worthwhile to idolize, not because he was famous.

"Actually Professor, I've got one other idea." Mcgonagall turned back to him

"Oh Potter?" Harry nodded firmly. He would like being a Professor, he didn't even mind grading papers so much (as he had incorporated a few of them in with the DA, Ron had teased him about becoming a real Professor)

"Yes, I had originally thought of a position as an Auror, but as I've rather had a bad past with the ministry-" Umbridge inserts here

"Potter has no chance whatsoever of becoming an Auror!" Harry paused and nodded towards her.

"Yes, that too." Harry turned back to Mcgonagall.

"But Professor, I've always looked up to you." Mcgonagall's eyes become suspiciously watery at this, so Harry, becoming uncomfortable with any outbursts of emotion, which was strange since he had Hermione as a best friend, looked down at his knees. "And as you've said that there have been very few competent Defence Against the DarK Arts Professors for almost all of my life. First Quirrel, who was a bit of a blubbering mess. Then Lockheart, who was an absolute fraud. Lupin was an awesome Professor, and Moody was actually not too bad, other than the point that he was a death eater, and escaped Azkaban convict. And then there's Umbridge, and need I say any more?" Umbridge gasped at this. Harry had kind of forgotten that she was in the room.

"Mr. Potter, fifty points from Gryffindor for disrespecting a teacher!" Harry ignored her, after an apologetic look towards Professor Mcgonagall.

"I've also helped tutor a few students in Defence, and I rather like doing it. Professor Mcgonagall, I would like to become a Professor at Hogwarts." At this Umbridge inserted

"Potter, it is against educational decree-" Harry interrupted her

"Actually, Professor, it's not against any educational decrees to help other students with homework. In fact, Professor Flitwick actively encourages them. Don't you want us to do our best in your class?" Umbridge then became an interesting shade of purple, screamed in rage from Harry's outmaneuvering her, and threw her clipboard at Harry's head, Harry ducked. Years of reflex from dodging Aunt Petunia's frying pan, along with the bludgers helped on that point. Umbridge stormed out of the room angrily. Once she was out of range, Professor Mcgonagall spoke once again in a trembling voice.

"Fifty points to Gryffindor Mr. Potter. It has been years since anyone has chosen the route of a Professor. I suppose you would like to know the particulars?" Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, thanks a lot. And Professor?"

"Yes Potter?"

"I meant what I said about looking up to you, you know?"


End file.
